Polar bears are the most majestic creatures of the freezing north. Polar bears live only in Arctic areas in the northern hemisphere and not in Antarctica, which is in the southern hemisphere.

People often see illustrations of penguins and polar bears together, but this could never actually happen in the wild. In fact, the word ‘Arctic’ comes from the Greek word for ‘bear’ and ‘Antarctic’ originates from Greek, meaning ‘opposite of the Arctic’ or ‘opposite of the bear’.

Unlike other bears, polar bears do not hibernate. Aside from nap time, polar bears are up and moving all year round.

Polar bears are classified as marine animals as they spend most of their lives on the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean. Polar bears are the only bear species to be considered marine mammals.

Polar Bears are actually black, not white. Polar bear fur is translucent, and only appears white because it reflects visible light. Beneath all that thick fur, their skin is jet black.

While you will find no shortage of headlines declaring that polar bears face extinction, the numbers tell a different story. The population of polar bears today is larger than it was in the 1970s, mainly due to legislation banning polar bear hunting.

The greatest threat to these mammals is climate change and the resulting shrinking ice-caps (where they hunt for seals).